Hand snowplow



Feb. 1, 1949. 1 H. WILLIAMS I 2,460,560

HAND SNOW PLOW Filed Sept. 27, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l P34- 15 If 14 1a Zhmeutor 1 Horace Williams Ba F 92 1 W (lttornegs Feb. 1, 1949. w Ms 2,460,560

HAND SNOW PLOW Filed Sept. 27, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

23 23 15 15 25 26 28 33 3g 10 v 32 35 [3 2o 26 v 311925201; Horace Williams Fig.4

Gttomegs Patented Feb. 1, 1949 HAND SNOWPLOW Horace Williams, Alliance, Ohio Application September 27,

Claims.

The invention relates generally to a hand plow or device adapted for removing snow from sidewalks and the like, and more particularly to a snow plow mounted on wheels.

Certain prior snow plow constructions have been heavy and cumbersome to handle and complicated and expensive to build. Moreover, said constructions have been best adapted for removing snow in only one condition, that is, either when it is dry and light in weight or when it is wet and heavy, but not both.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved hand snow plow which will overcome all prior constructions.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved snow plow which is light in weight and nicely balanced so as to be extremely easy to manipulate.

Another object is to provide a novel hand snow plow which is inexpensive to construct.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved snow plow which embodies a blade having a particular contour adapted for functioning as a combined plow and shovel.

A further object is to provide a novel snow plow in which the blade is adjustable in two directions to adapt the plow for efliciently handling snow in a dry and light condition or in a wet and heavy condition.

A still further object is to provide a novel snow plow having a blade which is quickly detachable from the supporting frame.

These and other objects are accomplished by the parts, constructions, arrangements, and combinations which comprise the present invention,'the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, and a preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and which is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

In general terms, the invention may be stated as including a forked tubular metal frame having handles at its upper end and journaling a pair of wheels at its lower end, there being brackets projecting from opposite sides of the frame at its lower'end for supporting the blade of the plow, and the blade being detachably mounted on said brackets for adjustment in two directions with respect to the frame.

Referring to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example;

of the disadvantages of 1946, Serial No. 699,755

Figure 1 is a plan elevation of the novel and improved snow plow;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof in operating position;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation thereof.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The novel snow plow preferably includes a frame which is constructed of metal tubing having welded joints so as to present an attractive appearance and at the same time be light in weight and strong. As shown, the frame may embody an inverted U-shaped member 10 at its lower end and the ends of the member Ill may be provided with bosses H in which the axle shaft I2 is mounted. Suitable wheels 53 are journaled on the outer ends of the axle shaft for rollably supporting the snow plow, and the wheels may be of well-known light weight sheet metal construction with suitable bearings in their hubs, said bearings being anti-friction bearings if desired.

A preferably forked handle may be secured to the U-shaped member ll), said handle having two arms l4 welded at their lower ends as at I5, to the cross bar of the U-shaped member, and said arms are preferably curved inwardly toward each other and welded together at it, above which point they are turned outwardly in opposite directions preferably at right angles to each other to form the hand grip portions l'l at the top of the frame. Rubber grips [8 may be provided on the hand grip portions H.

A reinforcing or stiffener bar l9, substantially L-shaped in construction, is preferably provided at the central portion of the frame, and may have its upper end joined as by welding to the joint I6 between the arms IQ of the handle. The lower front end of the bar i9 preferably has a boss portion 29 secured thereto for mounting the center portion of the axle shaft l2, and a U- shaped foot 2| may be attached as by welding to the underside of the L-shaped stiffener bar H! for engaging the ground to support the plow in upright position when it is not in use.

The frame member ill, the handle members I l and the stiffener bar l9 and foot 2'! are all preferably made of metal tubing, which may be in diameter seamless steel tubing, so as to provide a light and strong frame for nicely balancing the plow which projects forwardly of the wheels.

Immediately above the bosses H, the legs of the U-shaped member I!) have secured thereto, as by welding, bracket plates 22 extending for- 3 wardly of the frame. The bracket plates 22 are provided along their front edges with substantially upright attaching portions 23 having elongated slots 24 therein, as best shown in Fig. 2.

The snow-deflecting blade of the plow is indicated generally at 25 and is formed preferably of sheet metal, which may for example be 16 gauge steel plate or A aluminum alloy plate. Preferably, the blade consists of two curved portions 26 which are concave as viewed from the front of the plow, and which are joined together as by welding at their inner edges to form a nose or apex 27 at the center of the blade. As shown in Fig. 2, the lower ends of the blade portions 26 are curved forwardly at 2 '7 to give them a plowlike contour.

Accordingly, the apex 21 of the blade acts like a plow as it is pushed forwardly through snow to deflect the snow laterally in opposite directions onto the portions 26. The concave contour of the portions 25 results in a partial collecting of the snow as it is being deflected laterally so as to produce a shovel-like action. Thus, the blade 25 functions partly as a plow and partly as a shovel so as to handle either snow that is wet and heavy or dry and light.

In order to accommodate the blade to varying conditions of the snow and ice to be cleaned from the sidewalk, it is adjustably mounted on the bracket plates 22 for adjustment up and down and also for adjustment forward and back. Preferably, the rear side of each blade portion 26 has a pair of vertically spaced angle brackets 28 and 29 Welded thereon, and each pair of brackets 28 and 29 are adjustably slidably clamped to the slotted portions 23 of the bracket plates 22. The brackets 29 are clamped to the bracket plates by means of bolts 30 extending through the slots 24, and the brackets 28 have arcuate slots 3? therein. Clamping bolts 32 extend through the slots 3! and the slots 24 for adjustably clamping the brackets 23 to the bracket plates 22 by means of wing nuts 33.

Preferably, the slots 3| are curved about the bolts 3t as centers, so that when it is desired to adjust the blade 2% forward or back as indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2, the upper portion of the blade can be swung about the bolts 30 as pivots by loosening the wing nuts 33, moving bolts 32 in slots 3!, and tightening the nuts 33 in adjusted position. When it is desired to raise or lower the blade 25 with respect to the sidewalk, as indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2, the Wing nuts 33 are loosened and the bolts 32 and 3d are raised or lowered in the slots 24. A hand grip 3 3 may be attached to the upper end of the blade 25 behind the nose 2?, for facilitating adjusting the blade.

Accordingly, the blade 25 is quickly and easily adjusted to meet all kinds of snow and ice conditions for the most efficient and most rapid removal of the snow from the sidewalk. If it is desired to remove the blade 25 for straightening or sharpening the same, this is quickly accomplished merely by removing the bolts 36 and 32. In operation. the snow plow is adjusted up or down and forward or back to best handle the snow in the condition encountered, and then the plow is pushed forwardly on the wheels l3. The lower end of the blade 25 is set to scrape frozen snow or ice close to the sidewalk if desired, and if the snow is particularly heavy or deep, the blade may be set high for removing the top layer, and then readjusted lower for running over the walk again and removing the bottom layer.

' ably mounted on said bracke The novel and improved plow is extremely light in weight and easily handled, and is properly balanced to obtain the greatest efficiency with the least amount of labor. The particular design and construction of the frame provides for maximum strength with minimum weight.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiment of the improved construction illustrated and described herein is by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention, the construction, the operation and use of a preferred embodiment thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful constructions, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Hand snow plow construction including a frame having an inverted iJ-shaped member and a forked handle secured to the top thereof, an axle shaft mounted on the ends of said U-shaped member, an L-shaped central stiffening member secured at its upper end to said handle and having a forwardly projecting lower end connected to said axle shaft, wheels journaled on the ends of said shaft, and a snow-deflecting blade detachahly mounted on said Ushaped frame member for up and down and forward and back adjustment.

2. Hand snow plow construction including a frame having an inverted U-shaped member and a forked handle secured to the top thereof, an axle shaft mounted on the ends of said U-shaped member, an L-shaped central stiffening member secured at its upper end to said handle and having a forwardly projecting lower end connected to said axle shaft, wheels jcurnaled on the ends of said shaft, bracket plates on the legs of said U-shaped member and projecting forwardly therefrom, and a snow-deflecting blade detachplates for up and down and forward and back adjustment.

3. Hand snow plow construction including a frame having an inverted U-shaped member and a forked handle secured to the top thereof, an axle shaft mounted on the ends of said U -shaped member, an L-shaped central stiffening member secured at its upper end to said handle and having a forwardly projecting lower nd connected to said axle shaft, wheels journaled on the ends of said shaft, and a blade detachably mounted on said U-shaped frame member for up and down and forward and back adjustment, saidblade having a central plow-shaped nose, and twoforwardly concave portions extending laterally of said nose.

4. Hand snow plow construction including a frame having an inverted U -shaped member and a forked handle secured to axle shaft mounted on the ends of said U-shaped member, an L-shaped central stiffening member secured at its upper end to said handle and hav" ing a forwardly projecting lower end connected to said axle shaft, wheels journaled on the'ends of said shaft, bracket plates on the legs-of said U-shaped member and projecting forwardly the top thereof, an

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therefrom and a blade detachably mounted on said bracket plates for up and down and forward and back adjustment, said blade having a central plow-shaped nose and two forwardly concave portions extending laterally of said nose. 5. Hand snow plow construction includingga frame having an inverted U-shaped member a forked handle secured to the top thereofian axle shaft mounted: on the ends of said U-shap'ed member, an L-shaped central stifiening member secured at its upper end to said handle and hail} ing a forwardly projecting lower end connected to said axle shaftggwheels journaled on the was of said shaft, and 'a blade mounted on said shaped member and having a central plow-shaped nose and two forwardly concave portions extending laterally of said nose.

HORACE WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 Number 

